A survey of 30 cafes in Canberra by the Heart Foundation found 43 per cent of stores used skim milk in skinny orders and 57 per cent used low fat milk. Another 37 per cent of ACT cafes did not offer skim milk at all.

Nerida Volker, a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Canberra and advisor to the study, said many Canberrans did not consider beverages in their daily nutrition intake.

"While coffee itself is not high in kilojoules or fat, the way we drink it often is," she said.

"If you regularly drink a large latte made from full cream milk, it could contain 1100 kilojoules and 13 grams of fat. And this could be contributing to an expanding waistline."

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Heart Foundation ACT chief executive Tony Stubbs said obesity was at an alarming rate in the ACT and 63 per cent of adults were overweight or obese.

"When you eat or drink more kilojoules than you need to, fat doesn't just build up around your waist," he said.